Lichenomphalia umbellifera (L.) Redhead & al.

Lichenized Basidiomycota (Basidiolichen)

    Thallus composed of minute more or less spherical granules tightly appressed to the substratum, powdery when dry, gelatinous when moist, dark green. Carpophore with a fruiting body, 1-2.5 cm diam., brown-yellowish, yellow-ochraceous, tinged brown-red towards the center, fading, decurrent lamellae, thick, with gaps, cream, stalk terete, yellow-ochraceous towards the base, typically brown-reddish tinged lilac near apex. Clamp-connections absent in all hyphae. Basidiospores simple, narrowly ellipsoid to sub-cylindrical, 6,5-10 x 5-8 µm. Chemical spot tests negative. Rather common but usually it goes unnoticed when carpophores are lacking (in our prospection area, they appear during the mild winters), on humus soils in humid heathlands, and also on more or less large ligneous debris in humid areas and notably peatlands, see Lichenomphalia umbellifera forme des Sphagnum. N.B. This species untill recently was considered as a fungus and investigated by mycologists, and its lichenized traits discovered rather recently. Many similar species of unlichenized basidiomycota may be found but usually with clamp-connections in the hyphae.